Here’s a nice get for the 67th BFI London Film Festival. “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” is set to have its world premiere at that fest, which runs from October 4 to October 15 this year.
Netflix is in charge of the follow-up to the 2000 animated treat “Chicken Run," the most successful stop-motion animated feature ever, grossing $227 million worldwide. The sequel will be released via Netflix on December 15th.
If you remember, Mel Gibson voiced the leader of a flock of feathered birds trying to get out of the horrid conditions of a gloomy farm. If time ran out then they were literally going to become chicken pot pie.
It was "The Great Escape" done poultry style, with an added dash of British wit. How can you go wrong with that? Gibson worked up his vocal charms and stop-motion animation filmmakers Peter Lord and Nick Park had a blast creating visual miracles with the animation.
Aardman Animations are again the creative minds behind this sequel. Lord is relinquishing directing duties and will be executive producing. Sam Fell, director of “ParaNorman” and Aardman's own “Flushed Away” in 2006, is directing. No word on why Park has no part in this endeavor.
‘Dawn of the Nugget’ is an obvious contender to be nominated for the Best Animated Film Oscar. If the Animated category had existed back in 2001, “Chicken Run” would have easily won that award.
Right now, it’s looking as though “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will win the Oscar, but the other four nominee slots will be a fight between ‘Dawn of the Nugget,’ Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” “Elemental,” “Suzume,” “Robot Dreams,” “Nimona,” “They Shot the Piano Player” and “Wish.”